Pikachu Illustrators Lead Massive $11 Million Week for TCG Sales
Last week was a monster week for trading card game sales, with the five biggest sales combining for nearly $2.2 million.
This week took things to another level. The five biggest TCG sales from Sept. 13-20 totaled an incredible $11,339,471, led by two Pikachu Illustrator cards that combined for more than $7.8 million. A PSA 10 Black Lotus also topped $2.2 million, while a sealed Pokémon 1st Edition Base Set booster box and a PSA 10 Charizard helped push every sale in the Top 5 above $500,000 for the first time in recent memory.
Here’s the countdown of the five biggest TCG sales of the week, with sales data from Card Ladder.
5. 2002 Pokémon Legendary Collection Charizard Reverse Holo #3 PSA 10
Charizard starts this week’s countdown with a $575,000 sale—and somehow that was only enough for fifth place. Released in 2002, Legendary Collection is known for its distinctive reverse holos that have helped make the cards some of the most recognizable Pokémon parallels of the era.
This PSA 10 Charizard sold for $575,000 through Heritage on September 18, setting the floor for an unusually expensive Top 5.
4. 1999 Pokémon 1st Edition Base Set Sealed Booster Box
The No. 4 spot isn't an individual card, but an unopened box from the set that helped launch the Pokémon card phenomenon in the United States. A sealed 1999 Pokémon 1st Edition Base Set booster box sold for $750,000 through Heritage on September 18. Each box contains 36 unopened booster packs, leaving plenty of possibilities, including a shot at the iconic 1st Edition Charizard.
With vintage Pokémon boxes increasingly difficult to find sealed, the sale puts one of the hobby's most recognizable sealed products alongside some of its biggest individual cards.
And at $750,000 it still wasn't enough to crack the Top 3 sales of the week.
3. 1993 Magic: The Gathering Limited Edition Alpha Black Lotus PSA 10
It took one of the most famous cards in TCG history to break up Pokémon's dominance. A 1993 Magic: The Gathering Limited Edition Alpha Black Lotus graded PSA 10 sold for $2,208,200 through Goldin on September 19.
Black Lotus has long been the signature card of Magic collecting, and Alpha is the game's original 1993 release. Combine that history with a rare Gem Mint 10 grade, and it's easy to see why this copy crossed the $2 million mark.
And somehow, a $2.2 million Black Lotus was only the third-biggest TCG sale of the week.
2. 1998 Pokémon Japanese CoroCoro Comic Promo Illustrator Pikachu CGC 9
The first Pikachu Illustrator arrives at No. 2. Originally awarded through illustration contests held by Japan's CoroCoro Comic, Pikachu Illustrator wasn't available in packs or through traditional retail channels. Its unusual origin, limited number of distributed copies, and Pikachu’s popularity have helped make it one of the ultimate trophy cards in Pokémon collecting.
This example, graded CGC Mint 9, sold for $2,806,271 through Goldin on September 19.
In almost any other week, a nearly $2.81 million Pikachu Illustrator would easily be the headline sale. Not this week.
1. Pokémon Pikachu Illustrator Unnumbered Promo CoroCoro Comics PSA 9
Another Pikachu Illustrator takes the top spot—at nearly twice the price.
A PSA 9 example sold for $5 million at Heritage on September 18, leading an extraordinary week for high-end TCG sales—and showing the hobby’s continued preference for PSA graded cards.
The five biggest TCG sales this week totaled $11,339,471—more than five times last week’s nearly $2.2 million total. Just when it seemed TCG sales couldn’t go any higher, the market said, “Hold my beer.” We’ll see what next week brings for one of the hottest segments of the hobby.
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Lucas Mast is a writer based in California’s Bay Area, where he’s a season ticket holder for St. Mary’s basketball and a die-hard Stanford athletics fan. A lifelong collector of sneakers, sports cards, and pop culture, he also advises companies shaping the future of the hobby and sports. He’s driven by a curiosity about why people collect—and what those items reveal about the moments and memories that matter most.
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